Document is signed by President Fabio Coelho
Google said that PL 2630, known as the Fake News PL, could make platforms less secure. Among the main topics of the proposal are the creation of rules for content moderation, remuneration for media outlets that post content on the networks, definition of criminal offense to combat the spread of fake news on the internet, among others.
“PL 2630 can make our platforms less secure by forcing the disclosure of strategic information that could be used by malicious people,” said President Fabio Coelho, who signed the statement. “In its current text, PL 2630 imposes a series of obligations that would make search engines less secure for everyone and more susceptible to abuse and fraud,” he added.
In addition, Coelho said that the current text of the bill may reduce access to relevant information from a variety of sources. The executive explains that the proposal includes an obligation to pay for the “use” of “journalistic content”, without defining what this “use” or what “journalistic content” would be.
“For example, search engines could end up being forced to pay any site that claims to produce journalistic content, just for displaying small snippets of content, with related links to their indexed web pages.”
In addition to Google, other companies and entities have already spoken out. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Mercado Livre and Instagram classified the current text of PL 2630 as an “unprecedented threat to digital advertising.”
Facebook even carried out an advertising campaign in print and online media regarding the PL risks of Fake News for small businesses that use online advertising. In the pieces, published in newspapers such as Folha de S.Paulo, Estadão and O Globo, the platform states that the PL should fight fake news, “not the cafeteria in your neighborhood”.
Cris Camargo, CEO of the IAB, said that last month he was in favor of regulations to combat the sharing of fake news. “But we realized that, as it is, the project puts at risk the stability of the Brazilian economy, our market and the sustainability of micro and small companies that depend on targeted ads to leverage their businesses, products and services,” he pointed out.
